How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs

The FIA published a new set of renders showcasing the changes that are set to be made to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations.

The ruling body is still looking to better balance the performance envelope of the cars before the teams start work on their designs at the start of the new year.

Discussions have been ongoing regarding how the car’s aerodynamics can be better utilised to meet the various goals of the incoming regulations, with the FIA and teams working together to give the designers a little more freedom with which to unlock some additional performance and reduce the chances of ending up with identikit designs.

The general shape and scheme of the car’s design remain very similar, although the renders only offer the broad brushstrokes of what is achievable with the regulations, while the teams expected to be much more aggressive in how they approach their design.

With respect of the changes, there are some that are more obvious than others, with a change to the makeup of the outboard section of the front wing the most obvious of those.

Rather than having the option to place a vertical fin on the footplate, as was the case before (inset), there’s now scope for a diveplane to be attached to the endplate, which in this instance has a more slender attachment and wider chord outboard.

However, there will invariably be a number of different ways that this box region can be used by the designers to compliment the various surfaces around it.

In this respect, we can also see a change in profile for the endplate, which indicates there will be freedom here for the teams to alter their designs, as they see fit, just as is the case now, with various different design options used up and down the grid.

You’ll also note that the fully enclosed wheel rim covers that the current generation of cars has utilised appear to be making way for a disc solution instead, whereby the central section of the surface exposes the wheel rim behind.

This will obviously have an impact on cooling and alter the aerodynamic wake generated by the wheel and tyre assembly, which will give the designers a new challenge to overcome.

2026 Floor fences

Photo by: Uncredited

The floor, being the biggest performance contributor, has also seen its design revised, with the most obvious addition being the five fences added to the leading edge of the floor (circled).

These will provide more precise control of…